We are at a crossroads in our culture. Although some will suggest a decade-long transformation, grinding through the pandemic emphasizes two stark realities. First, societally we believe information is easiest to find on our own, at the exact moment we need it. Second, in order to profit and produce more, we must focus with greater intensity. 

Consider what you have used most recently to answer a question or a problem. Most likely it is the supercomputer you hold in your hand or that sits magnetically perched on your dash. “Hey Siri…” and “Hey Alexa…” and “Hey Google…” are phrases we believe give us access to the most reliable sources available at our whim. Even more notable, the answers are then delivered succinctly, without extra discussion, counter questions, or prescribed judgement. What you do with this newly discovered information, however, is on you to evaluate, believe, and potentially implement… or, at least, react.

Consider what the pace of your business looks like today. Most likely, you won’t remember the last break you took to work on the business or to envision what the near future looks like. You and your team have been managing through labor and material shortages, fluctuating bid pressures, and skyrocketing (or at least escalating) prices. Noses buried in paperwork, eyes burning into screens, and muscles stretched beyond normal fatigue — work has become our jailor. Whether you realize it or not, the mantras that used to be, “Put your nose to the grindstone” and, “Make hay while the sun is shining” have morphed into, “How can I step off (or away from) this wheel?”

These thoughts summarize many conversations we had during WOC2022. They are also paraphrases of conversations had weekly by our staff with some members and prospective members. The solution? Community. There is no more appropriate, healthy, or necessary moment than now to identify, enter, and leverage community. What has been reinforced during the last 27 months, given the seemingly unending hurdles, is that your strongest support is found in one another. This is the strategic vision held by the CFA’s board of directors. This is the development energy behind new resources like Expert Connect and the ITR Economics program.

Want to know the best way for finding valuable information and opportunity? Join the camaraderie of connecting with people in similar positions to you. The network of this association offers trusted relationships that prove you have as much to give as to receive. Despite the rich world of manufactured information at our fingertips, the real wealth of this industry is found in the knowledge bartered, traded, and even openly shared.